This is exactly the kind of movie my wife and both like and our expectations were high.

Neither of us liked it. I don't need guns/explosions/breasts/car chases/or any action at all to like a movie, but for us, this was a 2 hours sleeping pill. Perhaps we just weren't smart enough to follow and "get it".

What a letdown. I knew I shouldn't have had my hopes so high after that awesome trailer. It was just so dull and lifeless until the last 30 minutes or so, by then I had to force myself to care. And it went out with a fizzle, not a bang.

That said, it wasn't for lack of effort. The acting was near-perfect, and the aesthetic and cinematography was excellent. Also, it had some of the most thoughtful visual story-telling I've seen in awhile. So many layers of the plot being chipped away in each shot, it was really impressive actually. I just wish it had been more interesting and better-paced. I recognize that it is a "good film", but it just didn't work for me.

Loved the photography and the look of the film, but holy sh*t, was I bored to tears! Not in a million years did I expect this film to be dull. Suspense without action is possible, but not here. It was just.... boring.

I just watched this over the weekend. I was also disappointed. Great cast, of course. Interesting story to work with. But the way things were presented in the film just never generated real interest. When we learned what we ultimately learned, I felt...nothing. So, that guy was the guy...so what?

To me this film continued the current trend among small films (though this movie wasn't small) of barely including the audience in on the story! I haven't read the book and I'm sure that would have helped but it didn't seem like the filmmaker cared to give the viewer enough to fully follow the plot! Disappointed.

As I posted to the other Tinker, Tailor thread, I saw the movie and loved it. I'm not sure I'm an objective observer, though. John Le Carre's George Smiley is one of my all time favorite literary characters and I thought Gary Oldman's performance as Smiley was just about perfect. As much as I loved the BBC miniseries of Tinker, Tailor, starring Alec Guinness, I thought the film was its equal. I was also gratified that the 127 minute film managed to tell the story as clearly as it did. Highly recommended! 10 Stars out of 10.

Watched this last night, the wife deserted me after 1/2 hour. Had the subtitles on to catch any clues in the story but by the end I realized it didn't matter. Was looking at the critic reviews (83% approval) on Rotten Tomatoes this morning and can't believe we watched the same movie. The cast was great but the story was disjointed and the conclusion flat. I don't remember the Cold War being so uninteresting.

I concur with most people here. I had my expectations really high, and was disappointed. The complete lack of character development left me uncaring about anything or anyone in the movie.. So much so that I was kindof dozing off towards the end. I am still unsure about any motivations or anything.

Oh well. I was expecting to come here to this thread and see a lot of high-praise for it. Glad I'm not alone. I feel like maybe if I gave it a second watch, maybe I'd appreciate it more, but I don't really have a desire to.

Actually there is a scene towards the end which the culprit who got caught tells why. It's short but it's there. I had to watch (disc) twice to follow the plot (maybe due to their accents?).
This movie is as bland as English food.

A lengthy article about him in today's NYTs mentions le Carre's sons may be working on a remake of Smiley's People. Prefer an updated 5-part TV series myself rather than a so-so production similar to the latest Tinker Tailor. -- John

A lengthy article about him in today's NYTs mentions le Carre's sons may be working on a remake of Smiley's People. Prefer an updated 5-part TV series myself rather than a so-so production similar to the latest Tinker Tailor. -- John

Thanks for the link! I ate up the article like a gourmet meal. le Carre's virulent pacifism and concomitant detestation of American and British foreign policy makes me impatient with him personally but does not diminish my high regard for his talent. I had to laugh when le Carre said how disappointed he had been with the Obama administration's continuation of Bush 43's foreign policy. I really hope the last book in the Karla Trilogy gets made, again starring Gary Oldman as George Smiley.

I somehow never commented on this one. I loved it. I've watched it a few times since it came to Netflix. It's full of subtlety and you really do have to pay attention. There's a lot going on in the details that would be easy to miss and leave you confused as to who's doing what to whom.